Today, Ruan Xing was going to attend a Cleanup Plan gathering.

The leader of the organization, Chen Fu, had specifically told Ruan Xing that he had to attend because this time, it was not only their internal members. People from the Enforcement Division would also be in attendance.

Ruan Xing understood. Driven by certain interests, the Enforcement Division might give them face by not openly going against the Tower, but in private, they would certainly not stop them.

The meeting was set in the outer city.

"Our previous base was destroyed yesterday in a gas explosion," Chen Fu's gritted voice came through, and Ruan Xing instantly knew that they were being watched.

"Send me the address."

When he arrived at the venue, Ruan Xing sensed someone following him.

Turning his head, he saw a sallow, emaciated man grinning at him. Strangely, the man's clothes didn't match the image of someone starved to this state.

"Heh heh."

Ruan Xing frowned as he saw yellow drool leak from the man's mouth. At the same time, Fu Gui blurted, [Damn! Now, pollutants dare to openly appear in the city? What's the Quarantine Center even doing?!]

The monster grinned wider, its mouth stretching until a round object emerged: a pupa.

The pupa twisted its yellow tail like a drill, spinning its way out of the human's mouth before shooting toward Ruan Xing with a "whoosh!"

In midair, mycelium intercepted it, slicing it neatly in half.

It wasn't a particularly dangerous pollutant, but Ruan Xing frowned at the yellow mess on the ground, looking disgusted. It was just gross.

Freed from the pupa, the original human host collapsed with a thud, twitching all over.

Fu Gui: [He's done for. His intestines are probably already rotted through.]

Ruan Xing called the Quarantine Center: [No matter what, the Quarantine Center still needs to collect him.]

Just then, he suddenly felt the sensation of being watched. And the source…

Downstairs at the venue, in the smooth glass, his reflection stared back at him.

It was coming from inside.

"Hello, how can I help you?" The Quarantine Center receptionist's voice was sweet.

Ruan Xing gave her the address, then hung up and entered the building.

The feeling of being watched vanished instantly.

He glanced at the first-floor lobby, but when he looked from the inside, there was no one there.

Who?

Ruan Xing suddenly remembered the faint sensation of being watched when leaving Mist City.

Could it be a coincidence?

He stepped onto the escalator.

This was one of the few office buildings that was still in use in the outer city, making it an ideal venue for hosting formal receptions and meetings.

Following the long escalator up, a waiter was already waiting at the elevator.

Ruan Xing followed him to the conference room door, stopping him before he left. "Wait."

The waiter's smile did not falter. "Sir, is there something you need help with?"

Ruan Xing looked up. "Bring me a glass of water later."

The waiter smiled. "There is mineral water in the meeting room, but if you insist, please wait a moment."

Ruan Xing pushed the door open. Several people were already waiting inside.

The large conference room had no nameplates, so people could sit wherever they liked. Ruan Xing chose a spot.

Seeing him sit, Chen Fu came over. "Mr. Ruan, regarding the Mist City matter, I took some records. Later, I might need you to explain a few things."

Before visiting Mist City, Chen Fu didn;t take it seriously. But once he went there, he realized what that city meant to this young man.

There were pollutants inside buildings with Ruan Xing's photos displayed! Some pollutants had even died clutching his photo tightly!

Chen Fu was completely shocked. Everything Fu Zhi had said was true. This man had a remarkable ability to control the minds of pollutants, taming them. For Chen Fu's goals, this was an incredible asset.

Others noticed how courteous Chen Fu was to the youth. Everyone knew his bad temper, even his bouts of madness. What background did this young man have to warrant such treatment?

Among them was the young man in a black suit from the previous meeting, who had inquired about Chen Fu.

To avoid suspicion, they weren't in uniform.

"I mean, without Minister An here, we can't make any decisions. We're just here to be scolded. What's the point?" the young man sighed to his companion.

His companion replied, "I heard from the higher-ups that this time is different. If Minister An wasn't at another meeting, he would have come himself."

Most attendees were members of the Cleanup Plan. Only two young Enforcement Division members had come, more to mark their attendance than anything else.

Once everyone had arrived, Chen Fu scanned the room. "Everyone, I visited Mist City a few days ago. You're all informed people and should have seen the Quarantine Center's report. I'll skip the extra details. But when we arrived in that city, we saw something unbelievable."

He projected his PPT onto the big screen. Someone gasped. "Is that… pollutant corpses?"

Chen Fu nodded, his expression both excited and heavy. "Yes. When we arrived, the city's pollutants were all dead. At present, only we know this."

"How is that possible? Was it Major Fu?"

"Last drone footage showed the pollutants alive and well. In just a few days, what happened?!"

Chen Fu took a deep breath. "We suspect the one who killed them was none other than the Tower's knight: Pei Yi."

Ruan Xing's casual expression froze. He looked up at the increasingly emotional Chen Fu.

"That's right. My ability is to extract natural elements. From the wounds of these pollutants, I extracted wind element. Who could be so powerful, appear and disappear without a trace, and wipe out an entire city's pollutants in a short time? Major Fu could. This gentleman here could. Beyond them, perhaps only a knight could."

"But neither Major Fu nor this gentleman is wind-type. Pei Yi, however, is a wind-type! Why? Why would the Tower send a knight to clean a polluted zone at such a sensitive time?"

"It's not because they discovered it by chance. No, it's because they're guilty!"

"Does this not prove the Tower is deeply tied to Mist City? One knight died there in pollutant form, and another came to destroy the evidence. This is the Tower's true face!"

His excitement was contagious. The audience, expecting another one of his rants, realized he actually made sense.

Someone pointed to Ruan Xing. "Who is that?"

Chen Fu glanced at him. "That is the man I mentioned. Only after exploring Mist City did I realize how powerful he is. He can control the minds of pollutants, making them completely obey him. He is an important partner of our organization."

Ruan Xing's mouth twitched. He didn't agree to be a partner.

And why had this turned into "mass mental control" now?

The crowd's gazes shifted instantly.

"Mr. Ruan, is what Mr. Chen said true?"

"Is this your ability?"

"Can you control pollutants to make them kill themselves?"

The Cleanup Plan members were more pragmatic than Chen Fu's crusade. They wanted concrete solutions to pollution events.

The buzzing voices gave Ruan Xing a headache.

The black-suited young Execution member told his partner, "So that is him? Seems nothing special."

Still, he couldn't take his eyes off him.

His partner stayed silent.

The young man elbowed him. "Hey, why so quiet? Cat got your tongue?"

When he withdrew his arm, he saw dandruff-like flakes on his partner's black suit. A flash of disgust crossed his face. "When was the last time you washed your hair?"

His partner looked at him. From where his mouth should have been, a yellow, writhing, conical object emerged.

Yellow powder flaked off his skin. The "dandruff" had actually been these fine yellow particles.

But dandruff like snowflakes? Who grinds up dandruff before sprinkling it around?

The young man shuddered, instantly standing and pointing his gun at his partner.

His partner opened his mouth, the whites of his eyes now entirely yellow, like aged newspaper. "What is it?" he said in a muffled voice.

The pupa inside writhed more eagerly as he spoke.

The young man gritted his teeth, hesitating to shoot.

The disturbance drew everyone's attention.

Noticing the abnormality, many turned pale. "Pollutant!"

Chairs clattered to the floor. Even Chen Fu squinted at the two.

People quickly cleared the area around them. The young man no longer hesitated. Since no one else would be harmed—bang!

A single shot blew his partner's head open, red and yellow splattering everywhere like a burst bag of flour. The yellow dust spread instantly.

Many people inhaled it, including the young man. His head grew dizzy, and he saw a vision. A beautiful butterfly about to emerge from its cocoon. A deep desire planted itself in his mind.

Yes, he was a butterfly. He needed to transform.

But how?

His reddened eyes swept the panicked crowd, finally fixing on the long-haired youth.

To become a butterfly, he needed energy.

He could eat him. So good-looking... he must have a lot of energy.

The young man lunged at Ruan Xing.

Ruan Xing, seeing all the chaos and the guy rushing at him, turned to Fu Gui. "Okay, I can't deny it anymore. You were right about my terrible luck."

Fu Gui's expression practically said, See? Told you so.

A faint guilt arose in Ruan Xing's heart, but vanished as soon as the man reached him.

Whatever this pollution was, it progressed quickly. In just minutes, the young man had lost all control. His eyes were stained a yellowish hue, and his pupils were constricted.

But no writhing pupa tail yet.

Fu Gui: [His pollution value is low. He can probably still be saved.]

Ruan Xing quickly had the mycelium tie up all the infected, including Chen Fu, leaving only a blond unharmed.

The blond, masked and clearly congested stammered, "Wha… what's going on?"

It was apparent he had a cold.

So, this spread through the respiratory system.

Ruan Xing made a mental note, then glanced at the young Execution member's pocket.

Fu Gui: [Enforcement Division members always carry anti-pollution pills. They might help.]

Sure enough, Ruan Xing found them, enough for one each.

Half an hour later, the young man woke up groggily from dreams of colorful butterflies circling him. They were trying to take him flying like a bad trip from eating poisonous mushrooms.

Blinking, he found himself staring into a flawless face and stammered, "W-what… what's going on?"

His face flushed red, the color spreading down his neck.

Why was he so close? And why did he look so beautiful?

He was dazed until the other person turned away.

Pushing aside the pang of loss, he remembered. Oh, right, the meeting… then he realized he shot his partner?!

His face paled. The body was indeed dead, and the bullet caliber matched his own gun.

He grew serious. Was there still pollution here? Were they safe now?

Seeing the stable readings on his wristband and the empty pill box, he relaxed. The medicine should hold them for a while.

Still, a complicated feeling rose. Whatever the Tower truly was, some things, like these pills, were worth having. Without them, he shuddered to think what would have happened.

Chen Fu also woke up under everyone's gaze, his face even more terrifying than usual. "Careless," he muttered.

"No, even if you were careful, you would still be infected," Ruan Xing said from the window. The others exchanged confused looks.

The youth pointed outside. "Look and you will understand."

Chen Fu jumped up, and Ruan Xing stepped aside.

Upon seeing the scene below, Chen Fu's pupils constricted. "Impossible! How can this happen?!"

The street outside was chaos. The security guard had been mauled by plainly dressed civilians. His jaw was torn away, chest soaked red, dead eyes staring upward.

Farther away, screams rang out. A mother, clutching her child, stumbled and fell under the monsters' assault, surrounded as both screamed.

Even from dozens of floors up, it was crystal clear.

All over, people were being chased. Smoke spread through the outer city, even reaching the base of the walls.

This was a large-scale pollution outbreak.

Chen Fu collapsed to the floor, staring blankly. "Impossible."

The base's inspections were too strict for such an outbreak.

Someone peeking from another window saw the zombie-like siege and nearly wet themselves.

Everyone saw the scene.

The young man in the black suit contacted the department.

"Minister! The outer city—"

"I already know. Where are you? Who's with you?"

Minister An Mao's voice brought instant relief.

The youth quickly reported their location and attendees.

Hearing "Ruan Xing," An Mao paused. "The same Ruan Xing from Mist City?"

The young man nodded.

"With him there, there should be no problem," An Mao said firmly.

Everyone, including Ruan Xing himself, was stunned.

Only Chen Fu chuckled. "Relax, Old An. We are safe."

Ruan Xing shot him a look. Who had been tripping on poisonous mushrooms earlier?

"Understood, Minister," the youth said.

"Stay put. The Investigation Corps is on the way to pick you up," An Mao instructed before hanging up.

Someone grumbled, "What the hell? He didn't even say how long we have to wait."

The black suit was confident. "If the Minister said they will come, they will."

Ruan Xing slid the door open.

"What are you doing?!"

"I have something to do. I'm leaving," Ruan Xing said.

"Staying here and defending is safer!"

He didn't argue. He wasn't afraid of the monsters. He was more worried about Fu Zhi.

And he had a feeling that this outbreak was linked to the Tower.

To his surprise, Chen Fu called, "I'm going too."

The black suit gritted his teeth. "I'll follow you." He was ordered to monitor Chen Fu. He couldn't let him go alone.

Before leaving, he took a few pills from his dead partner's pocket, leaving the rest for those who were staying.

Only the blond, the sole uninfected, volunteered to go. He'd seen Ruan Xing's strength firsthand. If this person thought this place was dangerous, then waiting here was clearly more dangerous.

The rest looked terrified.

Ruan Xing yanked the door open.

The shambling "people" outside turned toward them. Leading them was the same waiter Ruan Xing had asked for water, rushing forward.

Ruan Xing drew his gun, blew his head off, and said to the others, "See? Not that hard. Now, who has a mask?"

—

In the outer city, Yang Fan had worked hard for decades, finally saving enough to buy a wealthy man's apartment and winning his girlfriend's parents' approval.

Today, he planned to buy the "three gold" items with her in preparation for marriage.

He waited in the park near her home, a rare luxury in the base's expensive land.

When she arrived, he thought her eyes seemed yellowish and her face was sallow.

"Dear, today's foundation shade doesn't suit you," he said, holding back the words "too yellow."

"Really?" Her voice sounded muffled, as if squeezed out from somewhere.

"Yes. Let's go buy a new one," Yang Fan said, holding her hand. It felt like scooping flour and yellow cornmeal rubbed off onto his palm.

He wiped it with the tissues he had prepared.

"What style do you like? I withdrew a lot today. You can choose anything," he chatted, but she stayed silent. He assumed she was upset and kept coaxing her.

Oddly, the streets were empty and firecracker-like sounds came from afar.

He shook off his unease and smiled. "My dad bought my mom's engagement gift at this store. Now we will buy it here too, and our children will one day…"

Her hands were ice-cold despite the mild season.

"We're here," he said, warming them.

Strangely, the store was empty.

When he opened the door, he froze at the sight of a blood-soaked body on the floor.

"Dear, weren't you buying me gold? Does this bracelet suit me?" she asked.

He turned to see her, now fully yellow, with jaundiced eyes and skin flaking away to reveal yellow muscle beneath.

Something writhed in her mouth as she smiled while wearing a gold bracelet.

Yang Fan forced a calm smile. "You're beautiful."

She laughed, and the thing inside twitched. Then her face split into countless tiny openings.

From the holes, swarms of moths poured out. Fully metamorphosed, powder-dusted, wings glinting in the light.

The largest, plump and wet with saliva and blood, crawled from her mouth and perched atop her head. Its huge compound eyes looked at Yang Fan.

From its mouthparts came a sickly sweet voice:

"Am I beautiful?"

Yang Fan froze, utterly petrified.